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I’ve started to explore Amsterdam proper. Friday night I went out with a colleague from work to this weird ass club for an hour – where I proceeded to drink too much (that seems to be my specialty) and meet the brother of one of the few friends I actually do have in Amsterdam, which is quite amusing. After all, it was the second time I went out in this town and I really do know only a handful of people, yet right there, into my path, stumbles one of them. I’m pretty sure that if I wasn’t hung over today I could say that in a much more flowery way, but I’m hung over today as well.

But first Saturday.

Saturday I was going to go home early (as it’s not a lot of fun working on a hangover) but then this dude suddenly stopped outside of my café just as I was closing shop and yelled my name. I didn’t recognise him, but I assumed (fairly I believe) that if he knows my name I might well know him as well. I did. It turned out to be my cousin, who I hadn’t seen in seven years. They were going out. It was rather hard for me to say ‘naw, I gotta work tomorrow in the afternoon, so thanks but no thanks’. So I went out again. Again came back at some unspeakable hour, again drank too much.

Then Yesterday was supposed to be the day where I got to go home early. I had all my work done at a quarter past twelve and was really looking forward to hitting the sack. I go down into the kitchen and ask ‘how much time do you guys still need?’ the answer was ‘another hour and a half’

Apparently the look of defeat on my face was quite comical, I was told later. You see, I can’t leave until everybody is finished. As the guy in charge I’m the last out of the shop. So I had to hang around and wait. Fortunately, some of my serving colleagues decided to wait with me (with friends) and we sat around and talked shop. I didn’t drink too much – but with the exhaustion from the other two days added up (and the problem with still sleeping in other people’s living room) I am as good as hung over today.

It is nice though that I’m slowly, but certainly meeting more and more people. I hadn’t really had the time for that when I first arrived and now I can finally start to build up a proper life here. After all, a house, a job and an education are nice – but they don’t make a town your home. It’s the people that you know that make it your home. If you don’t know good people, then you won’t really have a good time. It’s also ultimately the people that get you where you want to go.

Right now I’d really like to go back to sleep. I go snooze on the couch.